Finding Background Information: Family Sciences

The Library subscribes to a number of large collections of reference works (eg. encyclopedias, handbooks, etc.) and they may be a good place to start finding background information for your topic.

Credo Reference Premium - online collection
An online reference collection that searches hundreds of encyclopedias, dictionaries, thesauri, quotations and subject specific titles as well as 200,000+ images and audio files and nearly 100 videos.

Gale Virtual Reference Library - online collection
Thousands of full text reference titles across a number of subjects.

These resources may also provide good starting points.

The Cambridge Encyclopedia of child development - eBook
Provides an interdisciplinary approach and covers everything from prenatal development to education, pediatrics, neuroscience, theories and research methods to physical development, social development, cognitive development, psychopathology and parenting. It also looks at cultural issues, sex differences and the history of child development.
https://proxy.library.upei.ca/login?url=http://www.myilibrary.com?id=43251
The Cambridge handbook of age and ageing - eBook
Guide to the current body of knowledge, theory, policy and practice relevant to age researchers and gerontologists around the world. The broad focus of the book is on the behavioural and social sciences but it also includes important contributions from the biological and medical sciences.

Cambridge Handbook of Personal Relationships - eBook
This handbook serves as a benchmark of the current state of scholarship in this dynamic field synthesizing the extant theoretical and empirical literature, tracing its historical roots, and making recommendations for future directions.
The Encyclopedia of Aging 
Contains explanations of hundreds of terms, concepts, and issues related to the lives of older adults, as well as the growing range of programs and services for the elderly provided by the professions, communities, and governmental agencies. The entries were written by invited prominent scholars in biology, medicine, nursing, psychology, psychiatry, sociology, and social services.
HQ1061.E53 1987 STACKS
Encyclopedia of gerontology : age, aging, and the aged
This entirely new encyclopedia covers the latest research on the biology, psychology, and sociology of aging in addition to covering how aging is depicted in the humanities.
RC952.5.E58 1996 STACKS
Encyclopedia of Marriage and the Family - Reference
A comprehensive source of interdisciplinary information on relational issues and the psychological, cultural, and societal forces that influence them, for a general readership from high school age on. Using a broad and inclusive definition of both marriage and the family, 169 signed articles address the general topics of marriage and family types; emotions; interpersonal dynamics; economics; health and illness; family law; sexual beliefs and behaviors; reproduction; socialization; parenting; and sociocultural influences on marriage and the family.
HQ9.E52 1995 REF
The encyclopedia of parenting theory and research 
Through more than 240 alphabetically arranged entries, the volume synthesizes the present state of research on parenting. Each entry is written by an expert contributor and provides an authoritative overview of a particular topic. Entries are related to child activity, child outcomes, child states, parent behaviors, parental situations, external and community factors, systemic concerns, the transition to parenthood, available resources, and a number of persons who have added to our knowledge of the field. The entries draw on a wide range of disciplines, including psychology, education, and sociology. Each entry closes with a brief bibliography
HQ755.8.E523 1999 STACKS
Encyclopedia of sex 
"This Encyclopedia of Sex has been updated from Dr. Ruth's Encyclopedia of Sex (1994) to include the revolutionary development of Uprima and Viagra. Working in conjunction with an internationally renowned team of sixty experts - psychiatrists, psychologists, sexologists, attorneys, and educators - the one and only Dr. Ruth here brings together all the sexual knowledge that one needs to be sexually literate. The Encyclopedia of Sex addresses every aspect of sexuality, from the most basic biological information to psychological, cultural, legal, and religious concerns. The language is clear and easy to understand, suitable for readers from adolescence up, making this the perfect home-reference source."
HQ9.E54 2000 STACKS
Encyclopedia of Sex and Gender: Men and Women in the World's Cultures - eBook
Gives a comparative perspective on issues involving conceptions of gender, gender differences, gender roles, relationships between the genders, and sexuality.

Families across cultures: a 30-nation psychological study - eBook
"To what degree has the function of the family changed and how have these changes affected family roles in cultures throughout the world? This book attempts to answer these questions through a psychological study of families in thirty nations, carefully selected to present a diverse cultural mix. The study utilizes both cross-cultural and indigenous perspectives to analyze variables including family networks, family roles, emotional bonds, personality traits, self-construal, and "family portraits" in which the authors address common core themes of the family as they apply to their native countries."
Human sexuality : an encyclopedia
A scholarly but accessible, comprehensive reference that summarizes the state of knowledge on all aspects of human sexual behavior in some 200 signed topical articles (by approximately 100 contributors), each followed by a bibliography of essential primary sources for researching subjects in depth.
HQ9.H846 1994 STACKS
International Encyclopedia of Marriage and Family - eBook
It includes articles specific to countries and to religious traditions, examining the history of family life within these cultures and discussing how families have been affected by political and social change.

Vanier Institute of the family

... is an independent national not-for-profit research and educational organization committeed to the well-being of Canadian families.
http://www.vifamily.ca/library/library.html

Created by: Donald Moses, MLIS
Updated: 15-January-2015
Revised by: Meghan Landry, BA, MLIS
Revised date: 8-March-2016

Not specified